'Project Impact' Kicks Off At Spelman

ATLANTA - To assist with the revitalization and transformation of the community right outside Spelman’s gates, the College is launching “Project Impact” during its annual Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Community Service and Community Building. Designed to develop Spelman students as servant leaders, this new community service initiative will engage students in projects within a 1.7 mile radius of the campus.

To kickoff this initiative, Spelman is hosting a one-day information session to provide more details about Project Impact and engage the community. The event is free and open to the public.

Spelman President Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum and Dr. Jane E. Smith, executive director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement at Spelman, will be joined by community leaders from The Center for Working Families, Greening Youth Foundation, Hands on Network/Points of Light Institute, United Way of Metro Atlanta, and Emerging Leaders Institute.

The event takes place Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, beginning at with an information session from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The program continues with the Community Outreach Walk (distribution of Project Impact information to community) from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Project Impact, which will be implemented through collaborative partnerships, provides Spelman students with an opportunity to work on community service projects that have a direct affect on the area surrounding the campus. Projects will focus on a variety of community interests such as education, health, economic development, and environmental sustainability as outlined in the College’s Strategic Plan for 2015.

Through Project Impact, the College will continue to build on longstanding community partnerships. Currently, through volunteer efforts, the College supports organizations such as the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, KIPP Strive Academy, the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Neighborhood Planning Unit T, and The Center for Working Families, all organizations within the Spelman service area. For more information on Project Impact, visit: http://insidespelman.com/?p=771.

Johnnetta B. Cole Institute
By bringing prominent African American women leaders to Spelman, the Johnnetta B. Cole Institute supports LEADS’ efforts to cultivate a forum for seasoned leaders to share experiences and dialogue on issues critical to women leaders. Speakers are experts in fields about which Dr. Cole is passionate including justice, diversity, the health and safety of women, children, and underserved populations around the globe.

Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children’s Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman.